Sakura's Choice
by A Baker's Dozen
Summary: A single conversation changed her forever.  A single person changed her heart.  A story of two lifetimes, both connected, both changed by the other.  When one loves another, in time that love will surpass every force working against it.  NarutoxSakura.
1. The Plan

**Fighting Dreamers**

** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. This story is not written for profit, tax-deductible or otherwise.

**Author's Note: **Yep, I know you guys love these little talks/rants, especially the one at the very beginning of the story. I'll try to keep this to the point, and as painless as possible. If you haven't read the summary yet, I'll let you in on a little secret: this is a NarutoxSakura (and at times SakuraxNaruto) fanfiction, one which could be classified as AU. Other pairings may pop up as I go, who knows? I'll be trying to keep the characters in... Well, character, as much as possible. There will be times when I stray from the well-trodden path, but for those of you who are afraid of stories so out-of-character that you can compare their failure to 'keeping it real' to a small child throwing blocks at a dog, then fear not, my brethren. Although, remember that since just about all romance beyond blushing is an unknown event in the manga/anime, I will have to bend the square to a circle to make the round peg fit. I first came up with the idea for this story from the 1st Naturo 'graphic novel'. I was re-reading the few that I have, and decided to start from the beginning. So, I grabbed the first one and cracked it open. Then, page 107 hit me. I won't go into it here, since I'll be writing about the event in this first chapter, among others. But, needless to say, it got me thinking. And pondering. And scheming. I know I can make a story out of it, and I'm hoping it'll be good. So, I know, you're all itching to get on with it. Go! Read on, and maybe leave a comment when you're finished, be it praise or slander. I will read them all, and perhaps answer any inquiries you may have in the next chapter. Until we next speak again, Constant Reader.

PS: Oh! Adding this as an after-thought, as to not confuse you poor readers. Italic text (_like this_) is usually meant to convey the thoughts of characters, or just used on random words to give them a little more feel, if you know what I mean. Italic text in quotation marks (_"Like this"_) is meant to convey speech that someone said in the past (yes, I know, it should make sense, but I've seen some people really not know these things). Text that is bold AND in Italics (_**Like this**_) is only seen here with quotation marks (_**"Heh"**_) and is meant to convey Sakura's Inner Self (Inner Sakura, if you must). I'm using it mostly for comic relief in this chapter. That, and to perhaps show a second side of Sakura, one that doesn't completely play by the rules, whatever they may be. Oh, and if you're having trouble comprehending who said what, I'm just going to say that you should pay attention. I won't be adding a '-insert name here- said' bit after every single line of dialog that appears. It gets repetitious and boring to read, in my opinion. Well, without further ado, here's the story!

* * *

**Chapter One:**** The Plan**

Sakura managed to make it back to the bench she had been previously occupying, before Sasuke-kun came strolling back after their little 'encounter' earlier, and dropped onto the seat with a soft _plop._ After making sure her skirt was covering everything it was supposed to be, the young kunoichi finally leaned back and closed her eyes, her mind already replaying the conversation that just concluded.

_"Kids without families always grow up selfish!"_

_"... That, and lonely."_

_"What?"_

_"Being scolded by your parents doesn't even compare to that feeling."_

_"S-sasuke-kun... What's g-gotten into you all of a sudden?"_

_"People like you... Make me sick."_

_I... Do I really make him sick?_ She could hear the self-doubt creeping into her thoughts, and softly sighed. It had taken her nearly two years to build up enough confidence to start flirting with her crush, Sasuke, and now she knew exactly how he felt about her. And, looking back, she hadn't been exactly friendly to her other team member, either. They probably both hated her by now. With another small sigh Sakura pulled herself off the bench and slowly made her way in the direction Sasuke had headed, back towards the Academy the class had officially graduated from yesterday. After a few yards she stopped, though, as another memory of the conversation crept up on her.

_"You have such a noble brow... So charming, I could kiss it. At least, that's what Naruto would probably say."_

_Why would Naruto think my brow was noble? Or charming?_ Without even realizing it, Sakura had come to a full stop, and was simply standing in the middle of the path, deep in thought. _He's the class clown, not some romantic. That, and he's always getting in between me and..._ She winced, already feeling the hole the cute Uchiha had left in her heart. A moment later she began to walk again, determined not to be late the afternoon their new sensei was supposed to be arriving. First impression was always the best one, after all, and she knew from Naruto's antics that being late wasn't always the best way to break the ice.

There had been countless times when that idiot had shown up late for class and got Iruka-sensei yelling at him, often breaking Sakura out of her daydreams about a certain raven-haired soon-to-be shinobi. No matter what lame excuse Naruto gave, she could tell he just wanted attention, wanted to be the class clown. Shaking her head, the pink locks of hair partially covering the vast expanse of her huge forehead, Sakura let out a soft groan. _He'll probably show up late today, just to get a rise out of our new sensei. _The kunoichi could feel her hands tightening into fists already.** _"When he gets there, I'll clobber him myself! That baka!" _**Inner Sakura threw in her own opinion, and she couldn't help but agree. With that boy, it was nothing but _joke _this, and _prank _that. It was enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity.

_But... S-sasuke said that being an only child was lonely..._ Sakura slowed her walk to a shuffle, too far occupied by her thoughts than her being late to class. _He's always alone, but he has plenty of fan-girls like me. What does Naruto have?_ When he was first introduced to the class, the Third had been with him, but she knew that sometimes Hokage-sama came to visit the schools, and check up on the pupils. And besides, why would the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village associate with someone as annoying as Naruto? Didn't he have better things to do, like protecting their lives and such?

The more Sakura thought about it, the less she found. For the most of the school day she ignored the orange-clad loudmouth, choosing instead to worship Sasuke-kun, alongside nearly the rest of the girls in the class. Lunch time was no different, although she had noticed a couple of other kids her age talking with Naruto. Kiba and him seemed to get along, and Shikamaru probably liked talking to someone just as lazy as he was. Shino... Sakura had no idea what was on his mind, nor did she want to. According to her mother, the Aburame Clan dealt with bugs a lot, and that was just disgusting. However, she had seen them talking near Sasuke before, and Shino talking was a rare event in itself.

Sakura unconsciously quickened her pace, pushing her speed back up to a quick walk. It would do her well to get inside as soon as possible, in case any of the Aburame's 'family' was near. As she made it to the sidewalk leading to the Academy, though, she halted once again. Something had crossed her mind, an idea that seemed so out-of-place it had to be analyzed immediately.

_What if... What if all he needs is someone to notice him in a good way?_ Naruto already had a lot of negative attention: most of the students his age seemed to dislike him, and the adults were the same way. Sakura's mother had never spoken ill of the boy, but whenever she brought up his antics in class, or how he was getting in the way of her and Sasuke's 'relationship', she couldn't help but notice the way that the older woman's eyes grew distant. Besides Iruka-sensei, none of their teachers had shown anything but barely-concealed malice towards him.

"Maybe... I could be a little... nicer?" Sakura felt her cheeks heat up as she thought about what Sasuke had said earlier, regarding her brow. _Could Naruto actually think that?_ As she opened the door to the school, she knew there was only one way to find out: By seeing his reactions herself.

* * *

"What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On. Here?!" Sakura managed to mutter, upon walking into the classroom. The sight in front of her seemed fit for a nightmare, not the Academy. She took a step forward, wondering what exactly she was seeing. 

There were orange-bearing Naruto's all over. Three were standing up at the front of the room near the chalkboard, scribbling random things in chalk and talking animatedly amongst themselves. Two more had taken up posts next to the windows facing the street, and appeared to be keeping watch. A sixth was sorting through chalkboard erasers, his hands ghost-white from all the residue. And the final one...

The last Naruto she laid eyes on was sitting across from Sasuke, twiddling his thumbs. As Sakura stood there in shock, Naruto finally stopped circling his thumbs, and promptly leaped out of his seat. "S-sakura-chan! You're back! Why didn't you two tell me?!" The boy spun on the spot, and pointed an angry finger at the two other Narutos at the window. "I told you to keep a lookout!"

The Naruto on the left yawned while the one on the right addressed the standing Naruto. "We're you, so didn't you fail too?"

"T-that... That's beside the point!"

"Hmph. That is the point. Oh, and I'd watch out if I were you. Or, since I am you, I should be watching out. Wasn't I already?"

"Huh?! What for? Is it sensei? Did he just walk down the path?!" Naruto bounced on his heels, the energy practically oozing out of his body.

The Naruto on the left finally spoke up. "No, I'd look out for the person who just entered, myself. Or yourself. I think..."

Standing Naruto nodded, then spun around... Just to come face-to-face with Sakura, who had slowly walked into the room, all the while confused by the seemingly multi-sided discussion between the same person. "Oh... Hehehe, sorry about that. They can get a little annoying at times."

Sakura nodded, although what she was agreeing to, she had no idea. "Naruto..."

The boy in question cringed, and pulled back a few inches. He knew that tone of voice: it was the calm before the storm of pain that would swiftly follow. "Y-y-yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Tell me..." Sakura motioned towards the front of the classroom, where the three had stopped drawing on the board in order to hear what the kunoichi had to say. "What's going on here?" Turning towards the two standing by the window, she cocked an eyebrow. "And you two. Why were you arguing with... Yourself?"

"Because I'm a baka! Or... He is... That makes me..." The Naruto on the left squinted in concentration, while the right burst into laughter. Sakura turned back to Naruto, and cocked the other eyebrow.

"W-well, they're like me, but they're not. It's a lit-"

"They're Clones" Sasuke cut Naruto off in mid-explanation. "Although, these ones are different. I threw one against a wall earlier, and it got back up and starting yelling at me."

"You said he tripped!"

"Hmph."

Naruto turned back towards Sakura, already anticipating a scolding for annoying her Sasuke-kun. However, that was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment.

The Clone Technique was one of the first they were taught in the Academy. It was used to create illusions of oneself, which were meant to distract opponents. From what she remembered, Sakura knew that the average clone couldn't even handle subtle contact, let alone a body blow, such as forcefully coming into contact with a wall. And talking clones? Unheard of. "Naruto..."

"They're Shadow Clones! Hehehe..." Naruto stretched a hand behind his head, nervously rubbing the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "I can only make a few of them, but they're pretty handy." He snickered, remembering how he had over-taken Sasuke earlier. _Handy indeed!_

"Shadow Clones?" Sakura wracked her brain, and came up with nothing. "What are you talking about? We never learned anything like that in the Academy. When did you learn that?" **_"And why wasn't I there to learn it too?!"_**

"Uhh..." Naruto squinted, remembering what the Hokage had told him this morning. _No one must know about the technique you learned, not even your closest friends. _But, he knew that lying to Sakura-chan usually ended in pain, so he had to tell her _part_ of the truth, at least. "I learned it from a scroll I found!"

"Oh." _Something's fishy. Naruto never reads, even when he's in class._ "Well, how does it work?"

"Hehe... Like this!" Naruto drew hands hands up before him and extended his fingers, crossing them at a perpendicular angle. "Shadow Clone!" A moment later, another identical Naruto _poofed_ into existance next to the first. He waved at Sakura, then ran off to join the two at the window, who were pointing at something in the courtyard. "The scroll said something about it splitting my chakra up, and giving it to the clones... I couldn't really understand it, but I got the jutsu, anyways."

Sakura sweat-dropped: only someone as idiotic as Naruto would dare use a jutsu they didn't fully understand. Shaking her head, she had to admit one thing... It was a pretty cool jutsu. Maybe later, she could ask hi-

"Boss! Sensei! ETA of one minute and counting!"

Suddenly, all of the Narutos around her sprung into action. While they had been talking, the three Narutos in the front had managed to cover the entire chalkboard with doodles: the Naruto sorting through the erasers tossed one of them up to the trio, who started cleaning off the board with it. The three Narutos next to the window stood up and jogged over to the sliding door Sakura herself had entered not too long ago: as she watched, all three of them got down on their hands and knees, side by side. Two of the chalkboard group joined them and proceeded to climb on top of their backs, making a sort of miniature pyramid made of Narutos, missing the final top member.

The Naruto with the eraser finished his duty of cleaning off the chalk from the board, and raced over to the other five. Naruto (the real one that Sakura was talking to) threw him a kunai. As he climbed up the pyramid, Sakura watched on in disbelief. _When he said they weren't normal Clones, Sasuke wasn't kidding._ Her thoughts snapped back to the present though, as the top Naruto stuck the kunai into the wall above the door, then precariously placed the eraser, now covered in fresh chalk, on top of the small blade. Sakura immediately knew what he was up to: another prank.

_**"Hell yeah! I love this stuff!"**_ Sakura sighed, then smiled. Just like nearly every other prank that she had been witness to: what seemed like a small insignificant joke was actually a well thought-out event for Naruto. This one seemed the same way: The eraser would fall at the slightest vibration, which would occur as their new sensei was opening the door. It wasn't stuck in the door (she had seen that variation pulled on Iruka-sensei before; even thinking about the scolding he had given Naruto hurt her ears) but rather above it, as to not give away any signs of the eraser. However, she couldn't just stand by and watch. "Naruto! I don't know what you're thinking, so it won't happen. Our sensei is a Jonin, an elite ninja! He'd never fall for this!"

The boy in question waved at his Clones, who promptly dissolved into a small cloud of smoke and vanished into the air. "But, he deserves it! All the other classes left: my sentries saw them leave with their sensei's! Ours is late, so he gets what he deserves. Hehehe..."

"But..." Sakura trailed off, her argument forgotten as the sound of footsteps down the hallway reached her ears. Naruto and Sasuke heard them as well, and as the three stood there silently, the sound grew louder, until they could have sworn the last one had come from right outside the door. The seconds dragged on, and Sakura found herself holding her breath, waiting to see if the planning was all for naught. Sneaking a glance at her two companions, she could tell they felt the same: Naruto was practically bouncing on his feet again, while Sasuke sported a small grin. A moment later, the door started to slide open.

The eraser caught Kakashi Hatake squarely on the head, sending a small cloud of white dust on impact. The fine powder immediately tickled his nasal cavities, and he found himself sneezing once, twice, three times. His one visible eye was practically watering from the efforts of sneezing so many times, not to mention the amount of chalk dust it must have received.

Naruto was literally rolling on the floor, his hands covering his sides as he continued to laugh at the top of his lungs. Although Sasuke showed no signs of amusement beyond the grin he still held, Sakura could have sworn she heard him chuckle once or twice. The young kunoichi was torn between hilarity and humility at doing such a thing to a teacher. let alone on their first day with him. **_"Set em' up and knock em' down!"_**

"W-well..." Kakashi managed to get out, after wiping his eye clear of excess dust. "What can I say? My first impression of you three is that..."

_Please let it be something good! Please!_

_Haha, that was AWESOME! He took it straight to the head!_

_He's supposed to be an 'elite nanja'? Hmph._

"... I hate you all."

Naruto promptly stopped rolling around.

* * *

Minutes later, and the trio found themselves on the roof of the Academy, sitting on a bench in front of their new sensei. After sending them up, Kakashi had managed to remove most of the dust, and cleaned out his visible eye. 

"Well, now that the fun's over, let's get to know ourselves a little better, shall we?" Kakashi gathered his thoughts for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dream for the future should do nicely."

Sakura raised her hand, and he waved her on. "But, Sensei... Shouldn't you go first? You're our teacher, and we don't even know your name!"

The man sighed, then shrugged. "I suppose. Let me see... My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm not the type to like or dislikes things, really. And my hobbies? None of your business. Dreams... I'm a pretty light sleeper. Now it's your turn, funny guy."

_All I really got out of that was his name..._

"Hai! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, fresh or from a cup, and I REALLY like the ramen Iruka-sensei buys for me at the shop near my apartment! I dislike the three minutes it takes the water to boil, and how I have to wait until I get home to eat ramen. My hobbies are training and taking care of plants. And my dream is... To one day become the Hokage! And earn the respect of all the villagers! So that way, they'll acknowledge me instead of hating me!"

Kakashi's eyebrow shot up at the last sentence Naruto had spoken. _Ah, so this is the one Sarutobi-sama mentioned. This is going to be... Interesting._

Sakura, meanwhile, kept trying to steal glances at Naruto. She didn't know which surprised her the most: his second hobby, or what he had said about the villagers. She knew that a few people didn't like him, but always put that off on his pranks. But, the way he made it sound, the only way he could got them to recognize them was by becoming Hokage. _Hah! I have a better chance at dating Sasuke than Naruto has of becoming Hokage. _

"Alright, fair enough. What about our raven-haired friend here?"

Sasuke didn't even bother looking forward to answer the man before him. "My name... Is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like anything, and I dislike almost everything. I don't have any hobbies. And a dream... Well, it's not a dream. More of a certainty." As he looked towards Kakashi, the older man wasn't surprised to see the hate practically radiating from his expression. "I must kill a certain person."

It was Naruto's turn to steal glances at someone. _I hope he doesn't mean me... I really didn't mean to tie him up earlier!_

"Well, that's lovely. And what about you, with the pink hair?"

"Huh?" Sakura was caught off-guard, her mind still occupied with thoughts of Naruto's dream. "Oh! Me! Well... My name is Haruno Sakura, and I like gardening and studying. I dislike obnoxious people and bugs. My hobbies..." Sakura thought about mentioning stalking, then dropped the idea. She was sickening enough already, no need to bring it up even more. "My hobbies are flower arranging and, well, studying. And my dream is to one day become a great kunoichi, like the legendary Sannin Tsunade." Nodding to herself, Sakura went back to thinking about what Naruto had said earlier.

_Interesting indeed._ Kakashi's original suspicions were put to shame: he had pegged her as another Sasuke fan-girl, like most of the others he had watched leave earlier. This one, though... _She's got potential. They all do. That's probably why Sarutobi..._ "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" their teacher smiled, then shrugged. "But, all fun things must come to an end, as this one is about to."

Two of the students in from him winced, while the third just stared ahead, emotionless. "Tomorrow, we'll be doing a little test. If you pass, you'll officially become Team 7, and I will become your sensei. If you fail..." Sakura and Naruto were hanging by his every word now, while the Uchiha's brow had furrowed. "Then you will be sent back to the Academy for another year."

"What the hell?!" Naruto was the first to speak up after Kakashi had finished speaking. "We just graduated from the Academy, why the hell would you send us back!?" It had taken him everything to graduate: a second time would be even more hard.

"S-sensei, we already took the t-test to graduate, didn't w-we?" Sakura stammed, already feeling a sense of hopelessness settle over her. First Sasuke, and now this: it wasn't possible for the day to get any worse.

"You two didn't let me finish" Kakashi dead-panned, staring ahead with a cold gaze. "The test is a simple one, in concept."

"Oh?! Really, really, really?! What is it! Tell us!"

The man raised a hand, asking for silence, then continued on. "This test is... A survival exercise. With a sixtey-six percent chance of failure." As Sakura and Naruto opened their mouths to protest, Kakashi raised his hand once more, demanding silence. Once he was sure he had their full attention, he spoke once more. "Meet me tomorrow at ten or so, at Training Ground 2. Oh, and if I were you..." He stood up, and fixed them all with a serious stare. "I wouldn't eat breakfast. You'll probably throw up. Class dismissed!"

* * *

Sakura was in a world of hell. 

Almost literally.

She trudged along, slowly passing various houses as she made her way towards the training grounds. A moment later she stumbled, and barely managed to catch herself before tasting a dirt sandwich. Although, as hungry as she was, it probably wouldn't taste half that bad.

Last night's supper could barely pass as a meal. Sakura's mother, who was a devout Vegen, had decided to whip up a huge bowl of salad, comeplete with freshly-picked sweet peas, lush lettuce, diced green peppers, sliced black olives, with minced chive leaves. Sakura had no idea what the sauce was, since her mother usually hand-made it anyways. Whatever it was, it tasted like heaven.

The food was good, yes. But it lacked filling. In between eating nothing but light greens for dinner, and skipping the small breakfast she usually had, Sakura was running on empty. Her only hope was that whatever exercise they were about to take part in, it wasn't anything too physical.

Another straw on the camel's back was how much sleep she had gotten last night. Most nights, she could slip into her nightgown and be snoring before her head even hit the pillow. It wasn't the case last night. She had tossed and turned until nearly midnight, according to her alarm clock. The last time she remembered staying up that late was the day before her first year at the Academy. Although this time, it was thoughts of a person more than nerves that had kept her up.

Ironically, for once it wasn't Sasuke that was on her mind.

She had mentally reviewed the day several times during the night, each time asking herself the same question. _Does Naruto really have it that bad?_ Sakura had previously blamed all his bad behavior on having no supervision as a child, but after her talk with Sasuke, that idea lost sense. If what he said was right, it was lonely being an only child, and she could never imagine acting like Naruto did while being lonely. As for all the villagers hating him... He was constantly pulling pranks on them, so they had every right to dislike him... Right?

_Maybe all he needs is a little good attention._

Sakura picked up her pace, pushing her nutrient/sleep-deprived body just a little faster.

* * *

Two hours had gone by, and still no sign of their teacher. 

Naruto was beyond annoyed.

Sakura-chan had shown up an hour earlier, and promptly fell asleep on the bench next to a strange memorial that had been there to greet him when he arrived. He could barely make out the words on it though, with how faded the text was from weather erosion. Naruto had spent the first hour chatting with Sasuke, discussing various issues. Then, once Sakura had arrived, he'd spent his time pacing, constantly glancing towards the path the three of them had taken to get here.

What worried Naruto the most, though, wasn't the time. It was Sakura-chan.

He had immediately noticed the way she stumbled as she walked, not to mention the dark crescents underneath her eyes, and presumed she hadn't slept well last night. It was impossible to know why, since now that she was asleep, waking her was out of the question. He could tell, though, with the way that her stomach was growling, she had probably skipped breakfast. In the end, Naruto himself had had a cup of ramen and some fresh milk after waking up. Nothing had made him throw up before, and he knew how bad it was to skip meals from his first Academy year, when he rarely had time to eat before classes started.

Sasuke had agreed with him, and admitted to grabbing a fresh bagel and some soup before heading off. If this was a true survival exercise, at least the time they spent waiting would allow his body time to digest the proteins it needed to operate properly.

And wait they did.

* * *

**Concluding Notes:** Well, that's the first chapter for you. I decided to end it there, even though I had written another 3k words: I went so save it, then found out my login had expired, then I couldn't return back to the page I had been on, so I lost it all. But, at least you'll have Chapter Two sooner than expected... /wrists But really, at least I found a suitable spot to conclude it (non-action cliffhangers for the win!) Anyways... Leave your comments, and I'll check up on them in the morning, and get working on the second chapter (it'll mostly be the 'survival exercise', and perhaps a little fluff afterwards). So, no leaving comments about hurrying to get the second chapter up! . I know I should hurry, and I know a few rare people might like my writing and want more, so there's no need to rub it in, sheese. Anyways, happy Labor Day! 

-Lucky Thirteen


	2. Every Other Way

**Sakura's Choice**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, it probably wouldn't be half as popular as it is nowadays, yup yup.

**Author's Notes: **Well, here's the second bit of the first chapter, guys. -insert random swearing here- From now on, I'm going with the Copy-Paste back-up plan EVERY TIME I go to hit Save Changes. Good plan, neh? Oh, and here's the promise I made you in the first chapter: Review responses! It's not for fleshing out the chapter more, to make it bigger. Perhaps it's to keep you coming back to see my responses?! Mwuhahaha. Anyhow, here they are.

_Masterkeyes2_: Thanks for the PoV praise! Although I will be flipping around a bit between the characters (you'll see what I mean in this chapter) the majority of the story will be told in Sakura's eyes. I do this to show the readers just how I'm changing the kunoichi, and what's influencing her most at the time. As for Naruto and Sasuke... Yeah, I understand that several years of rivalry can't just simply disappear in a day, but the way I think of it is this: If Naruto wasn't constantly being harassed by Sakura, and Sasuke wasn't constantly dodging her advances, wouldn't they be a bit more nicer to each other? I know I'll lose a few faithfuls with their seemingly OOC antics, but oh well. I write for myself as much as I write for the readers.

_Jho_: Don't you fret, Jho, I kept the story coherent to the manga for a solid reason: If I started changing the plot willy-nilly from the get-go, it would lose the Naruto-ness of the tale, if you know what I mean. That, and I like having a concrete base to start from. Stories that were too AU always annoyed me to no end. And... I wanted to develop the characters as early as I felt comfortable doing so, so the Sakura/Naruto/Sasuke conflict over romance/family issues seemed like a perfect place. I attempted to flesh out the classroom experience as much as I thought I could, and the walk to the Training Grounds was my idea entirely. Not to mention the whole passing out on a bench, actually. I'll be adding more AU scenes sooooooon... -evil laugh-

_Mangalover248:_ But _maaaan_, I had the whole fight between Kakashi all fine-tuned and everything! -kicks computer- Owww... Now my foot hurts! Sheese, us writers have it tough. And, as for the length of the first chapter... I always think that my chapters are too short, or that I'm not adding the proper details. I've seen stories with over twenty thousand words a chapter, and on the other hand I've seen ones with barely 2k. I'll try not to drag things out too much, though.

Well, that's all I have to say! Thanks for your comments, and get ready to sit back and enjoy another chapter, Constant Reader.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Every Other Way**

Thirty minutes before noon, the two conscious members of Team 7 heard the sound of footsteps. A few moments later, their sensei appeared in the distance, serenely walking down the same path they had arrived from nearly two hours ago.

Naruto caught Sasuke's eye with a wave, then held a finger up to his lips: the universal sign of silence. He pointed to himself, then towards Sasuke, and finally gestured at the girl napping on the bench in front of them. Sasuke understood immediately. The two would be silent for as long as possible, letting Sakura sleep in. By the time the two boys had turned their attention back to the final arrival, he had made his way to within a few yards of the stone obelisk. Naruto shot him a scowl, and his only response was a silent shrug.

Kakashi looked towards the sleeping Sakura, then approached the monument her 'bed' sat beside. As he stared down at the weathered text, Naruto thought he saw the one visible eye move back and forth, as if reading the faded words. After a few seconds, Kakashi finally broke the silence.

"Ahem." The man cleared his throat softly, and that was all it took to set off Sakura's sharpened senses, honed through years of training as a ninja. Before her eyes had even opened, her body was in motion. The arm beneath her body tensed, then swiftly lay flat, already gathering the necessary energy to push upward. Her other hand, which had been lying in front of her face, streaked down towards the holster on her hip. As her right arm flexed and straightened out, her left drew a kunai from the pouch at her side and swung forward. As Sakura's eyes finally opened, she found herself sitting upright, with one arm holding her body off the bnech, and the other tightly gripping a small blade protectively near her chest. Less than a second had gone by since Kakashi had made a noise.

"Well, now that everyone's awake, let's get on with today's lesson shall we?"

Sakura shook her head from side to side, trying to clear the cobwebs from her thoughts. "H-how... How long was I napping?" She glanced down, and immediately noticed her skirt: in the swift movement of sitting up, it had hiked up her thigh, almost revealing... **_"If those two saw anything while we were sleeping, I'll gouge their eyes out with my bare hands! Cha!"_** After making a quick adjustment to her wardrobe, the kunoichi stole a glance at her two teammates, just to find them staring at the memorial beside her. As she turned as well, their sensei stood up. While Sakura was fixing her clothes, he had apparently bent down next to the stone, and pulled out three boxes. Two of them appeared to be plain wooden boxes, with non-distinctive designs. The third, however, confused her the most.

It was an alarm clock.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who was perplexed by their sensei's actions. A moment later, Naruto spoke up.

"What're those boxes, Kakashi-sensei? And... Couldn't you have used that alarm to get here on time?!"

The older man idly scratched his head. "Well, you see, as I was walking here the Path of Life too-"

"We don't want to hear your excuses!" Sakura cut him off angrily, as she was slipping her kunai back in it's resting place. "But... Really, what's with the boxes?"

Kakashi sighed, then shrugged. "I'll explain them in a little while. Let's get going." Without another word, he strode away from the obelisk, setting a fast pace directly for the forest south of them. The three exchanged glances, then looked toward the monument, from which a low-pitched _tick, tick, tick_ could be heard. The alarm clock's steady noises of time-keeping were the only response to the one question the students shared at the moment.

_Now that the waiting was over, what came next?_

* * *

The walk was a short one, and within several minutes Kakashi had lead the three to a small clearing in the woods. Surrounded on three sides by trees, the only open horizon was over the slow-moving river beside the clearing. The water held a slow pace, but one look was all it took to realize that the stream was nearly as deep as it was wide. A single maple had grown away from it's stiff brethren, choosing a spot closer to the water to sprout up. Their sensei led them to a spot roughly in the middle of the open area. 

"Well then, now that we're here... " Kakashi began speaking at once, after distancing himself from the teens. With no wind, his voice easily carried across the short distance between them. "Let me first explain exactly what we'll be doing here. This exercise is to be considered a combat trial. As such, if you do not strike with the intent to kill, you have no hope of passing. Do I make myself clear?" Although confused, all three nodded hesitantly, and Kakashi continued. "Now then. What you will be fighting for..." The man reached down into his hip holster, and the teens strained their eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it is sensei was reaching for. A moment later, however, the looks of curiousity quickly shifted to more confusion.

He had pulled out two bells, each of them tied to a length of string.

As Kakashi began to tie the strings securely to his belt, Naruto was the first to speak up. "What are those bells for, Kakashi-sensei?!"

"Did you not pay attention to what I just said? Open your ears, Naruto, not your eyes. These bells are your final goal. Your mission: To remove them from my person, by any means necessary."

_So, that's what he meant by the whole 'intent to kill' thing! But..._ "Kakashi-sensei, something's wrong." Sakura glanced back and forth between the two boys beside her, then faced their teacher once more. "There's... There's only two bells, and three of us!"

"How very observant. You are, of course, right: There's only two targets. Just as there are two boxes sitting in front of the memorial. Inside those boxes are two freshly-cooked lunches." At the mere mention of food, Sakura's stomach betrayed her hunger by letting out a low growl. "The two that get the bells pass, and get to eat lunch. The other... Fails. Completely."

The information hit them like a blow. _One of us is going home?!_

_**"This isn't good... Even with me here to cheer you on, our body's still too worn-out to fight. And he's a **_**Jonin_, too!" _**Sakura couldn't help but agree with her Inner Self: She was in no condition to fight. What little energy her body had managed to recover in her hour-long nap was already gone. Between the sudden waking and the walk to the clearing, her body was running off of pure willpower. And even that couldn't keep her going for long.

Naruto glanced to his left, and immediately clenched his jaw in anger. Sakura-chan's face was taut, the normally brilliant emerald eyes dulled by inner conflict and exhaustion. _She... She wouldn't be able to take on Kakashi-sensei._ If her previous movements were not faked, he knew that she didn't have long to go before everything just shut down. Naruto knew how much hunger could effect the body: after nearly starving several times as a young child, his body had grown to know the stages of nutrient depletion. Sakura-chan might have an hour or two to go, if her apparent tiredness didn't knock her out first.

_And... Sakura-chan likes Sasuke-teme._ Glancing even further left, the blond caught sight of his arch-rival. Although his face was grim, Sasuke appeared to be holding his own. Naruto's eyes shifted towards the ground as he weighed his options. On one hand, him and Sasuke just might be able to take both of the bells from their sensei. But, that would mean that Sakura-chan went back to the Academy, and the way she had talked about Sasuke yesterday afternoon... It would crush her to be separated from him. A part of his mind tried to argue the point that if he graduated he'd be one step closer to _that_, but Naruto knew that that was meaningless: he could just as easily graduate next year, and pursue his dreams. Sakura-chan, though... Once Sasuke-teme graduated, he would be out of her 'reach'. It didn't occur to the boy that his crush would be out of his reach, too. What mattered most was making sure Sakura-chan was happy, and if that meant... So be it.

"Now, on my mark, you will attack me. I suggest not to hold back in the slightest. One of you will be going back to the Academy, don't forge-"

The blond's patience finally snapped. _Who the hell does he think he is, just sentencing one of us to failure?! He doesn't have the right to presume that!_ Naruto's right hand dipped down, already streaking towards the holster strapped to his pants, just above his right knee. With the same speed shown by Sakura only a few minutes prior, Naruto drew one of the short-handled kunais from the pouch. A flick of the wrist spun the blade in his palm, and white knuckles grasped the shaft of the knife, providing a stiff grip. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Sakura saw Naruto moving from the corner of her eye, and immediately looked towards their sensei. However, where he was once standing, nothing but empty space greeted her gaze. Just as fast as Naruto seemed to move, had their sensei promptly vanished in thin air. As she turned back towards her teammate, her eyes couldn't believe what they were witnessing.

Kakashi had somehow made it behind Naruto. The man had grabbed the hand holding the kunai and twisted the arm behind Naruto's back. The kunai he held was firmly planted behind his own head, and as Sakura stared in shock, a single drop of blood streaked down the sun-kissed flesh that was Naruto's neck.

"I didn't say _go_ yet" Kakashi dead-panned, his drawling tone only infuriating Naruto further. A second later the Jonin released his arm, and Naruto managed to pocket the kunai without grimacing in pain: Kakashi's grip had been as strong as iron, it seemed. Their sensei took a few leisurely steps backwards, leaving perhaps two yards between him and his students. "Now then... Go."

* * *

Sakura saw Sasuke react first, in the form of throwing a small globe at the ground. Her eyes recognized the patterns on it's side immediately: A short-term smoke bomb. Already, her legs were gathering strength, preparing to launch her body towards the forest. A second later the sphere impacted with the hard-packed dirt, and smoke immediately burst outwards, surrounding the four individuals with a screen of gray. 

Her leap managed to carry her to the edge of the forest, and the girl wasted no time in finding a suitable-sized bush. Crouching down, Sakura slid underneath the green foliage, ignoring the pricks on her neck and shoulders as small twigs jabbed into her flesh. A few swipes with a kunai, and she had made a suitable peeping hole of sorts, one that offered her a limited view of the forest around her and the field she had just left. By the time the hole was made, the smoke bomb had nearly dissipated.

After all, they had been taught basic guerilla warfare in the Academy.

If a ninja was outnumbered, or knew they had a very little chance at surviving a direct conflict, then other measures must be taken. If possible, conceal yourself in the immediate area. Any attempts at fleeing from the region could alert enemy ninja of your position, numbers, or intent. After finding suitable cover, proceed to watch the enemy. If you are to attack, you must know, if any, what their weaknesses are. Only after gather sufficient information on enemy tactics/formation should you hope to engage in direct combat. Launching an open attack on a shinobi was a good way to find yourself dead. And quickly.

The smoke bomb finally dissipated, and Sakura turned her gaze to the clearing. Immediately, she couldn't help but let out a small groan.

Things had gone from bad to worse.

* * *

Kakashi waited patiently for the smoke to clear. As expected, they had been taught the simplest forms of concealment and information-gathering. Sasuke's movements had been obvious from the start, but that was to be expected from someone with little to no actual combat experience. _They're showing improvement already._

The last of the gray smog drifted off over the river. However, where the three shinobi-in-training had once stood, one still remained.

Naruto had held his ground.

As Sasuke was throwing the smoke bomb, the blond had gone through his options. If he ran, his orange attire would stick out like a sore thumb in the green forests. And if he attacked now, Kakashi would easily overpower him, even with the visual cover up. So, flight and fight were out of the question. Only one plan remained, and Naruto couldn't help but mentally curse. It was his weakest point, but there wasn't another way. And besides... He had already set one part of it in motion. Why not let the rest fall into place?

Kakashi's one visible eye was trained on Naruto, and as he spoke his contempt for the boy was clear. "Uzumaki Naruto. According to your previous sensei, you had the lowest scores in your entire class. You failed the simplest of Academy tests several times, and even managed to fail your Clone testing twice. Dead last. Judging by your actions so far, that description fits the bill. So..." The man's left hand slowly made it's way into the medium-sized pouch on his left hip, and Naruto knew that what came next would be painful. "I'll begin by teaching you the first of the Shinobi Arts: Tai-"

A shadow on the ground caught the Jonin's eye, and he immediately spun around, throwing his right arm out in a back-handed blow... Just to hit a Naruto flying through the air squarely in the gut. The clone gasped for breath a single time, then vasished in a puff of smoke. _Clones!_ As the shock of the impact ran up his arm, though, Kakashi's original thought was thrown out the window: Clones never had that much mass. _So this is... THAT Technique._

Sakura didn't know what to think.

One moment, Kakashi-sensei appeared to be scolding Naruto, and the next he was blocking some sort of attack launched from another Naruto. And... Although he had caught the first before it connected, she had seen where this fight was going already.

By the time the first Naruto Clone had disappeared, two more were already at Kakashi's sides. They promptly threw themselves at his feet, and after a moment's struggle, succeeded in pinning his legs to the ground.

Kakashi was running out of options, and the Narutos seemed to be growing in number. _Improvement indeed._

It didn't take long to put the pieces together. Naruto had known what he was doing from the start, it seemed: the stunt he had pulled by attacking early was really a ruse, to get him closer. And then, there was the smoke bomb. Instead of running like he had been taught throughout childhood to do, the blond had stood his ground, perhaps even knowing that his very outfit screamed _See Me!_ Then, while visibility was zero, he had made the clones. Even then, though, Kakashi knew that if he had attacked, it would have been a waste of effort. Instead, the boy had hid the Clones, probably with a Henge or two, and instead used his little 'speech' as the opportunity to attack. As a second pair of Narutos attempted to overpower his arms, Kakashi couldn't help but smile: his original assumption had failed him, as it had with his other student, Sakura. _They're developing at an amazing rate! If they keep it up..._

Naruto was out of options. And out of time. He could tell that although the Clones were succeeding in holding their sensei still for the time being, it was only a matter of moments before Kakashi-sensei simply used brute force to break free. The way he had effortlessly dispatched the first member of the ambush suggested that the man was far more physically powerful than even two dozen Narutos. So, Naruto did the only thing he could think to do: putting two fingers to his lips, he blew out a sharp whistle.

Sakura's attention was ripped from the pinned Kakashi to Naruto as the echo of the whistle faded, leaving an odd silence. Before she had even begun to contemplate what it's meaning was, her eyes opened wide with shock as a figure appeared next to her orange-clad teammate.

Sasuke had re-entered the clearing.

Naruto spoke a few words to his supposed 'rival' and Sasuke nodded, already striding forward. Sakura had no idea what to think. _When did they plan this out?!_ A second later, she nearly slapped her forehead: Of course! They discussed it while she was napping. **_"And left us out of the secret?! We're their teammates too, damn it!"_**

Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted as Naruto let out the short whistle, and the man couldn't help but wonder what they had planned next. As Sasuke appeared beside the blond, their sensei grinned again. _They were both in on this: Naruto wasn't just acting alone._ Although he couldn't hear what was being said, Kakashi saw the look that entered the Uchiha's eyes: An eagerness that was almost frightening.

Sasuke approached the dogpile of Narutos slowly, as if in contemplation. He stopped perhaps fifteen feet from their sensei, and to Kakashi's sudden surprise, his hands came up to form one Seal: The Horse._ T-that's not possible! A boy his age shouldn't have the reserves or the chakra necessary to perform such a jutsu!_ Sasuke stopped on the final seal, The Tiger, and spoke quickly. "Fire Style: Fireball Technique!" Drawing in a deep breath, the raven-haired boy blew it out towards their sensei.

As the jutsu finished Sasuke promptly dropped to one knee, panting. The chakra-made flames continued to burn for several seconds, then finally dissipated, offering a view of the damage done.

Sakura knew that nothing could have survived a direct hit from that jutsu. If their sensei was down there, he was toast. Literally. **_  
_**And as the smoke cleared, all three saw the results of their labors.

The entire area was charred to a crisp, and nothing was moving.

**_"We did it! Cha!"_** Sakura couldn't hold back the shout of joy that surfaced on her lips. "Naruto! Sasuke! We did it!"

Naruto turned toward the sound of her voice, and she immediately ceased her cheering. Something in his eyes chilled her to the bone. They looked... _desperate._

As she watched, the blond bent over and touched the ground beneath his feet. It immediately rippled, making it almost look like the dirt Naruto was standing on was more of a liquid than the solid ground she knew it had to be. He glanced back towards her, and she could now see the fear in his eyes. "Sakura-chan! Run! I'll do what I can!"

"B-but... I can't! You're my tea-"

"I know! Please, just get out of here while you can, Sakura-chan! If you get hurt..." Naruto trailed off, then glanced back down at the ground . A moment later, a disembodied voice resonated through the clearing.

"Lesson Two: Ninjutsu."

Sakura tore her way out of the shrub she was hiding in and bolted into the forest, chased by the echoes of shouts and cries of pain she could only presume came from Naruto.

* * *

A few minutes later Sakura finally slowed down, already nearly out on her feet. She had no idea how much longer her body could go on before she simply collapsed. 

_"I'll do what I can!"_

She shook her head, trying to clear some of the thoughts from it. The plan Naruto had seemingly created on the spot had been for naught, despite their apparent victory. Somehow, Kakashi-sensei had evaded the final blow, and was now...

A twig snapped nearby and the kunoichi immediately reached for a kunai. A few moments of silence granted her little to no comfort: her hunter was an elite tracker, able to easily out-think a lowly Genin like herself.

**_"He didn't _out-think_ Naruto-kun! Those two had him right where they wanted him!"_** Sakura smiled softly, her mind already going over the scene she had been witness to. It was an amazing plan, and gone off without failure from what she could see. Naruto had gotten the upper hand, while she had been hiding in the bushes like a scared kitten.

_"Lowest grades... Failing tests... Dead last..."_

Sakura let out a small sigh. _If he's dead last, and I'm more worthless than him, what does that make me?_ As she went over the thought, it felt like her limbs had turned to lead: it was much too hard to remain upright while her arms seemed to weighed hundreds of pounds. She managed to shuffle her way over to a tree and promptly sat down, already thanking Kami for the rest. A moment later, however, even her thoughts seemed to have a weight of their own, and abruptly fell away from her immediate attention. As her head filled with silence, Sakura found herself falling deeper, deeper, deeper into the darkness, further and further away from her own consciousness.

"Lesson Three: Genjutsu"

The voice spoke in a soft tone, but the kunoichi didn't show any signs of responding. Sakura was already fast asleep.

Asleep, and dreaming.

* * *

It was a pink room, of course. 

Well, most of it was, anyways.

Sakura found herself lying on a pink bed, staring at an unmarked pink ceiling. She managed to swing her legs around and sat up beside the bed, admiring the four pink walls that surrounded her.

At the center of the room sat a simple pink table. And on the table, to Sakura's pleasant surprise, was a pink vase.

What really surprised her, though, was the flower in the vase. Unlike the rest of the room, it was not pink.

It was actually orange. And pleasant-looking, despite the color. Or maybe because of it? She wasn't in the mood to analyze her thoughts on the matter at the moment.

As she pushed herself up off the bed, Sakura couldn't help but notice a change in the single flower. As she drew closer it began to wilt, the petals slowly dying from the outside in. By the time she made it halfway across the room, nearly half of the flower looked brownish, the orange swiftly fading from it.

**_"Flowers need three things: Water, love and light. Without water, the life of the plant fade away. Without love, the flower will grow not knowing the touch of another. And without light... It will grow in the darkness."_**

Sakura watched in awe as the center of the blossom began to slowly turn colors. The orange deepened, darkened, and eventually became a shade of red, the color itself seeming almost malevolent. The decay stopped, but the flower wasn't the same anymore. It was almost _tainted_ with the new color.

**_"Can you bring yourself to water the flower, and watch it grow? To love it, and show it the touch of your heart? To be it's light, and keep it from the darkness?"_**

She closed her eyes and stretched out one arm, reaching across the table. As her fingers brushed across the petals, her hand felt like it was bathed in warmth. Sakura's eyes shot open, and there sat the orange flower, returned to it's former glory, not a trace of the vile red from before marring it's skin. Her eyes slipped shut, her body basking in the sensation.

**_"Flowers are like people, Sakura-chan. All they need is some good attention, and things will be alright"_**

Sakura's eyes shot open once more, and this time reality greeted her, like an old friend.

* * *

**Finishing Notes: **Please don't hit me! -cringes- I tried to keep that fight as fan-friendly as possible, while showing you all just how much I'm changing things. I always dislike the fanfictions that replay the Bell Test, and have Kakashi getting his ass kicked by an uber-Naruto alone, with or without random fan-added abilities. What I wanted to convey in that little bit of action is that yes, perhaps Naruto could show a small amount of cunning. I tried to refrain to 'God-Moding' it and making one person overly strong. Yes, he got the drop on Kakashi: I once heard a teacher of mine tell a classmate that, and I quote, 'If you'd shut up for just a moment, you'd hear yourself think'. I know at least a few people are going to read that scene and say to themselves, "Kakashi is uber!! He can notz b beeten!" For those of you that say that, you're missing a LOT of material. I couldn't really involve Sakura that much, considering the condition I left her in at the conclusion of last chapter (yeah, I could have fed her a Soldier Pill, but this story isn't going to be taking the easy way at every sharp turn in the road, if you know what I mean) but I tried to give her a few scenes, at least. Anyways, how did I do with the dream at the end? Yes, I know I left another non-action cliffhanger: I think I'm beginning to like them, heh. But yeah, if you have any qualms with the story thus far, feel free to leave them as reviews, and I might even address you directly in the next chapter! Until then, Peaceful Reading. 

Lucky Thirteen


	3. Out Of The Frying Pan

**Sakura's Choice**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did... I would do away with filler episodes! And replace them with a mini-series starring Rock Lee And Might Guy as two college students sharing a dorm room! Bwhahaha. Vote for Me in the '08 Presidential Elections! That is all. -cough-

**Author's Notes: **Aha, we're on to the second chapter! Or the third, or even the final part of the first and a bit of the second, depending on how you're keeping count. Anyways... Not much to say at the moment, so I'll get on with review responses. I _know_ how much you love those!

_Masterkeyes2: _I really do enjoy responding to your reviews, heh. And yeah, people re-writing the Bell Test is rare indeed, but every single one I've ran across (all three or so) left my crying in agony by the end. As for guerrilla warfare, I do believe that ninjas of the Hidden Leaf would be taught it, if not in name than in principle perhaps. Think about it: They live in a forest, so they should know how to fight properly in a forest. Training them to be hippies was out of my jurisdiction. I'm probably only going to utilize the teaching once in a great while: not every encounter they have will start out as a 'hide-and-seek in the bushes', fear not. However, I like to introduce my readers to seemingly OOC/AU ideas before just tossing them willy-nilly into the tale, if you understand what I mean. And finally, let me put your (and every other reader, perhaps) fears to rest: I AM pairing up Naruto and Sakura. I marked it Romance for a reason, and if the pairing comes as a shock to anyone, you obviously didn't read the last little bit in the Summary: 'NarutoxSakura' (I even dropped a hint of SakuraxNaruto in the first chapter's AN). I know where you're coming from, though. As for when said pairing occurs, I can not say. The two will become closer, but I can't reveal just yet how soon. It won't be too far along the horizon, but it may not be just this chapter.

_Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain:_ Very observant, you are! However, let me make one little point clear: That dream was NOT part of the effects of the Genjutsu. Kakashi used a form of the Forced Sleep jutsu, as first seen in the fight between Naruto and Gaara. He didn't make her dream in pink, and he wasn't making Inner Sakura speak up in such a manner. Sakura simply started dreaming after he put her to sleep, that's all. Sorry if it confused anyone.

_Rickp2006:_ Well, I can't say if you're right or if you're wrong in your assumptions, since that would ruin the joy of interpreting the tale in your own view. However, let me say this: I love adding in little clues and plot devices, leaving trails of literary 'breadcrumbs' for my readers to notice. It keeps things fresh, and keeps you, Constant Reader, thinking on your feet, as Rick was when reading the last chapter. Keep an eye peeled for any further minor details, and perhaps you'll gain a better understanding of the events to come, if that makes any sense at all.

PS: Two things about my reader reviews! I will only be responding to reviews directed at the previous chapter, so please make sure to select the most recent chapter when you review if you want me to perhaps choose your review to respond to. Secondly, the longer the review, the more criticism/praise I have to work with, so the more likely I am to choose said review for response. Even if it's a negative review! As long as it's well-constructed, I'll consider it ("ur story suxx sasuxsaku 4 life"-type reviews will never be responded to).

* * *

**Chapter Three: Out Of The Frying Pan**

Sakura opened her eyes, and managed to pull herself into a sitting position. Whatever was behind her felt stiff, straight and round. _What... Where am I? T-the test!_ As she struggled to pull her thoughts together, a familiar voice spoke up from her right.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake, thank Kami!"

_Naruto? _Turning her head towards the sound, Sakura's eyes immediately shot open, and she couldn't stop the shout of surprise that at once rose to her lips. "W-what the hell?!"

Naruto was tied to a post beside her, perhaps a little more than a yard away. The ropes bound his hands to his side, wrapping several times around his ribcage. Sakura was sure it was painful: she could see where the binding was already tight against his torso.

"Hehehe... Sorry about the scare. But, you're up now!" Naruto smiled brightly, then turned his gaze to a point seemingly over her head. "You had me worried, sensei!"

Sakura spun around, and indeed, their teacher was standing to her left, near a familiar-looking obelisk... _The memorial!_ They seemed to have returned to the location they had met their sensei. And if her sleep-deprived memory could be trusted, the pole she seemed to be leaning against was one of the three that had stood near the stone. Craning her neck back to the right, Sakura's thoughts were confirmed: beyond Naruto sat both the third pole and their third teammate, Sasuke.

"I told you twice Naruto, it was a simple Genjutsu." Kakashi's voice drew her attention forward as the man slowly made his way from the obelisk to a point several yards ahead of the trio. "And now that all three of you are done napping, let us discuss the outcome of this little 'exercise'."

She couldn't help but cringe at the tone Kakashi-sensei was using. _T-this... I failed, didn't I?_ Sakura's head drooped lower, and her silent struggle against the tears began. _Those two a-at least _did_ something... All I did was hide and fall asleep._ Stealing a glance at Naruto, she couldn't help but feel slightly surprised at the grim expression on his face. _What does he have to be mad about?_ Her gaze was pulled forward once more though, as Kakashi continued.

"Naruto... The stunt you pulled at the beginning of the lesson could have gotten your entire team killed. A squad of shinobi must think as one, plan as one, and act as one. In a live-combat situation, attacking without warning leaves the rest of your comrades defenseless, and leaves you open to counterattack." _... Even if it was part of your plan_ Kakashi thought to add. The blond opened his mouth to give a retort, and their sesnsei silenced him with a raised hand. "As for you, Sasuke... I'll admit, your move was a powerful one. But, judging by your movements afterwards, you used up way too much chakra. You have power, but you need control. Without control, you'll waste too much of your reserves, and too much time." The raven-haired student nodded grimly. "As for you, Saku-"

Naruto couldn't take Kakashi's verbal lashing anymore. _Especially not to Sakura-chan!_ "It's not her fault, Kakashi-sensei! I was the one tha-"

"Kept her out of combat because she was hungry? Allowed her to sleep in because she was exhausted already?" the man before them dead-panned, his visible eye boring into Naruto.

**_"Naruto-kun noticed all of that? What the hell?! It wasn't that obvious, was it!?"_** Sakura didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted to stand up and punch the boy, just to show him exactly how exhausted she _wasn't_. And yet... Another part of her wanted to thank him for saving her the humiliation that would have occurred had she engaged Kakashi-sensei with her two teammates. Her Clones weren't all that impressive, and there was no way she could have produced a jutsu with as much destructive power as Sasuke's attack. All she would have done was gotten in the way.

"Y...Yeah. I did. But... I had a good reason!"

"Oh?" Kakashi's gaze softened slightly, and he looked intrigued. "And what would that be?"

Naruto cleared his throat, and Sakura could tell that he was nervous for some reason. "W-well, I wanted Sakura-chan to watch the fight, so if you had a weakness, she could s-see it... But, since Sasuke's jutsu had no effect on you, I knew it was a lost cause, so I t-tried to buy her time to escape, but..."

She couldn't believe her ears. _Naruto wanted me to watch? But... Observationists usually have to be the most intelligent ninja in the squad!__ **"Well, he obviously picked the right person when he picked us! Cha!" **_Sakura didn't buy it. There had to be another reason for the formation, and she would get to the bottom of it. Even if she had to punch it out of the orange-clad blond.

"Hmm." Kakashi collected his thoughts for a minute. Naruto had proven his assumption wrong once again. His reasoning was sound, and had very few noticable holes. However... "However... A ninja team must act as a team, not as individuals. If even one member stumbles, that puts you all in danger." The man gestured at the ground before them, and Sakura looked down, finally noticing the two lunch boxes. One was sitting in front of her, and the other was in front of Sasuke. The alarm clock was nowhere in sight. "I'll give you one more chance. You have fifteen minutes to eat your lunch." At the mention of food, all three teammates could hear the groans of hunger issuing from their stomaches. "Oh, and Naruto goes hungry."

Sakura was perplexed. "But, Kakashi-sensei, you said..."

"He brought it upon himself at the beginning of the exam, by attacking early. If either of you feed him, you fail. My word is the law, when you're under my command. Begin eating." With a quick hand-seal, Kakashi promptly vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"Heheh... This'll be easy! Don't worry about me you two, I'll be fine..." Naruto's stomach growled loudly, betraying it's master's assurances, and as Sakura looked up at the boy she caught the look of pain that swam across his face. It was horrible to watch, but Kakashi-sensei had said... 

"Here." Sakura turned to Sasuke, and immediately let out a gasp of surprise: he was offering Naruto his own lunch box.

"B-but, Sasuke! Our sensei said that we'd fail if we fed Naruto!"

Sasuke glanced at her, and shrugged. "He also said that if one of us stumbles, it puts the rest in danger. We need Naruto at full potential. And besides, Kakashi's probably miles away by now."

Sakura stared down at her own lunch, deep in thought. Naruto had helped her without even thinking of the consequences. So... Wasn't it her duty to help him, too? Standing up slowly she nodded to herself, then held out her own half-eaten lunch.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto was over-joyed: they were _both _willing to risk failure to help him out? For the first time in his life, Naruto found himself in the company of true companions, ones that supported him without fear or hate. The smile on his face felt too huge to be contained. A few moments later, though, he realized the slight problem in the situation.

His arms were still tightly bound against the post.

"H-hey... Uhm... Could you one of you feed me? Please?! I promise I won't bite!"

"No way in hell." Sasuke chuckled, then tossed Sakura his own lunch box. "I've seen you eating before. Not even Kakashi could order me to put my fingers near your mouth when you're hungry."

The blond stuck his tongue out at the raven-haired boy, then turned to his other teammate. "I-if you don't want to, Sakura-chan, t-that's alri-"

"I'll do it, don't worry" Sakura cut him off, then smiled softly. **_"If he so much as nibbles on one of our fingernails, he's in for a world of pain! Cha!" _**"Just... No biting, alright? And try not to get too much of it on me, either."

"I'll try not to, I promise." Naruto couldn't help but feel an odd warmth in his chest, a feeling quite unlike the stabs of hunger coming from his stomach. Slipping his sky-blue eyes closed, he opened up his mouth and waited patiently for Sakura.

Picking up a set of chopsticks, the girl managed to get a fair amount of seasoned rice balanced on the end of the utensils. Moving slowly, she raised her hand to Naruto's face, and got the small amount of food inside of his gaping mouth without spilling more than a grain or two. Naruto's tongue felt the contact of the chopsticks, and he immediately snapped his lower jaw upward, encasing the thin strips of wood.

Sakura nearly giggled at the look on Naruto's face. _**"Hehe... Naruto-kun does look pretty cute while he's eating"**_ She could feel his tongue pushing the chopsticks around, trying to get every last morsel of food. Pulling on the sticks, Sakura managed to dislodge them from his mouth, and watched as he quickly chewed and swallowed.

"Thanks, Saukra-chan! But... More please?" Naruto opened his mouth once more, eagerly awaiting the second mouthful.

"We've got company." Sasuke's tone was grim, and Sakura felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. _Company...?_ She slowly turned around, only to come face-to-face with the man they had just seen vanish into thin air. Kakashi-sensei had returned. And he looked pissed.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here?" Kakashi's voice was as dry as his gaze. "You seem to have disobeyed a direct order. I have only one thing to say..." All three prepared for the worse: they were heading back to the Academy. "You three... Are the first, and perhaps the last... To see 'under' the underneath in this test. All three of you pass, and are hereby officially Genin of Team Seven. Congratulations."

Sasuke and Naruto were speechless, and Sakura felt like she had been sucker-punched in the solar plexus. _I... We... W-we didn't obey Kakashi-sensei! How did we pass if we broke the rules?! **"Who cares! We passed! We're officially real ninja now! Cha!" **_"S-sensei..."

The man in front of the three held up his hand, requesting silence. After another moment, he began to talk. "I know what's on your mind. You went against my authority, and broke a 'law'. Well, let me tell you this. In the ninja world, those who disobey their superior's direct orders are considered worthless, the lowest of scum. However..." Kakashi looked towards the teens, and somehow they could tell that the man was smiling at them beneath the mask. "Those that abandon their comrades are worse than worthless, lower than scum."

Sakura felt a pair of eyes on her. Turning around, she almost laughed out loud: Naruto was staring at right at her, wiggling his head. As he noticed that she had noticed him, he instantly hid the bright blue eyes on either side of his nose in thin flesh prisons. "Sakura-channnn... Please?"

She couldn't help but smile at the look on the boy's face: it was so innocent and care-free, it practically warmed her up just seeing it out in the open. Sakura nodded, then realized that their teammate couldn't really see anything. "Sure, Naruto"

"You're the best, Sakura-chan!"

"One of my teammates acts like he's 5 most of the time... This is going to be a real pain."

"Now, on to more important matters... Where did I put that _Icha Icha Paradise _book?! Did I drop it back in the clearing? Hmmmmm..."

For better or for worse, Team Seven had officially formed.

* * *

Half an hour later, the only forms of life on the training grounds were the two figures sitting on the bench beside the memorial, talking animatedly. The man with one eye had left shortly after the test, still mumbling about his 'novel'. The raven-haired Genin had helped Sakura untie Naruto from the post, then promptly walked off. Sakura felt like following him, but something (or someone, depending on if you counted the voices in your mind as actual people or not) had told her to stay behind. As of now, she was glad she had. 

"So then, after I messed with the guy's shop sign, he runs out of his shop and starts yelling at me!" Naruto threw his arms up, apparently disgusted with the person's past actions.

"Well yeah, you were ruining his property, duh." Despites her some-what serious tone, Sakura still held a small grin. Her teammate had spent the last twenty minutes telling her about random pranks he had pulled, before his Academy days. Some of them were pretty odd, but she had found a similarity in many: Obnoxious though they were, it was still funny hearing about them.

Naruto flashed one of his fox-like grins. "What he didn't see, though, was the bucket of paint I had above his door!"

"Wait... How did you manage that?"

"With a few dull kunai and a bit of string I had on me, hehehe..." Naruto stuck his hand behind his head, and idly scratched at the small gash in his neck. "He was completely covered in pink paint!"

_Pink... Like my hair?_ Sakura couldn't put her finger on why that thought made her want to blush. "He... He was pretty mad, right?"

"Oh yeah he was! The first thing he did was start shouting again. Then, some random ANBU saw us, and I had to run for it!"

She knew where this was going. "How bad was it when he caught you? Did you get punished?"

"Huh?" The boy looked at her with a bewildered expression on his face. "I didn't say I got caught. I got away from that pig-faced weirdo pretty easily."

"Yeah right, Naruto." The girl knew about ANBU: They were part of Konoha's most elite security force. Not only did they guard the streets of the village, they also tracked down renegade shinobi, or Missing Nin. A nine year old boy eluding one of them was laughable at best. Each member had been in training for nearly their whole life, and some say that their skills rival most Jonin's. However, Sakura decided to drop the point.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you still hungry? That meal was way too small to fill me up, and you barely ate a quarter of it... I have a few coupons for a ramen shop I go to... So, uhm... Do you want to go get some lunch?"

_Lunch... Lunch! Damn it, I forgot! **"Our mother's going to kill us..."**_ "Sorry, Naruto, but I promised my mother I'd come home after the test, to tell her all about it."

The blond looked crestfallen. _Sakura-chan probably just doesn't want to be seen with me in public..._ An idea hit him. "It is alright if I walk you home? I mean, if you don't mind it, or..."

Part of her wanted to tell him no, and yet another part of her wanted to hear more about Naruto. **_"He can't be that bad, can he? His stories are pretty hilarious... Especially that one with the cats!" _**Sakura nodded to herself, then smiled again. "Sure, Naruto. And while we walk... Can you tell me another story?"

Naruto abruptly shot off of the bench, then extended his arm, offering it to Sakura. After a moment she grasped his hand in hers, and using him as a support, she managed to make it off the bench without falling over. He had been right: she did really only eat part of the small meal. Inwardly, Sakura prayed that her mother had made something a little more filling than another salad.

As they both began to follow the trail away from the monument, Naruto felt like he was floating along the well-packed dirt patch. _I'm walking Sakura-chan home!_ He didn't know which was better: The fact that she was actually _talking_ to him, or that he hadn't heard a word about Sasuke-teme the entire time.

"Naruto...?" Sakura's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he cleared his throat before responding.

"Oh! You wanted a story, right? Well, this one time, I found an explosive tag lying around..."

Sakura lost herself in the story, and neither of the teens paid much attention to actually heading in a specific direction.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Naruto suddenly stopped walking. Sakura took a few steps forward before realizing she was alone, then turned to see what the matter was. "Naruto, why are you... Oh." 

Beside the boy, she could see her family's own mailbox. She hadn't been really looking around much, and they had somehow come to her house almost without her noticing. **_"Well, that's a bit... Uhm. Silly of us? Hehe..."_**

Naruto smiled sheepishly, then stuck both his hands behind his head. "Sorry it took so long, but I sorta got lost on the way here..."

"You... Know where I live?" **_"Stalker! STALKER! I'll slap that smile off of his face!"_**

"Y-yeah... I wander around a lot, and I saw you leaving for class one day, so I figured that this was your house." The boy was already having doubts at bringing Sakura-chan home. From the look in her eyes, she was debating whether to hit him or not. In the past, usually the urge to cause pain came out on top. This time, though, he was in for a real treat.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Naruto. I'm glad you were paying attention, or we probably would be hopelessly lost right about now." **_"Not that that's a bad idea... _I _wouldn't mind it too much, at least."_** Sakura found her cheeks heating up: She could tell by her Inner Self's tone that whatever she meant by that remark, it had very little to do with location.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Sorry, got lost in my thoughts for a second there."

"Oh. Alright..." Naruto turned towards the house, then back to her. "So... I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Kakashi-sensei told us to meet him at the training grounds before he left... But... He didn't say a time, did he?"

"We could just show up at 10 again, like we did today."

"Good idea. Alright, I'll see you then." Sakura turned to leave, but stopped as the blond spoke again.

"By the way... Congratulations on becoming a Genin, Sakura-chan. I knew you could do it!"

Sakura blushed, then shrugged. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." Leaving behind a speechless Naruto, she walked up to her front door and slipped quietly into the house.

Neither of the Genin saw the face withdraw from the second-story window of Sakura's home.

* * *

Something was beeping. Loudly. Every other heartbeat. Naruto groaned, then peeked his head up over the blanket covering his small bed. Bleary blue eyes surveyed the room, trying to locate the source of the noise. Finally, they focused in on a small nightstand beside the bed. 

It was the brand-new alarm clock, telling him it was exactly 5 AM.

Naruto reached over and managed to hit the small switch on the side of the infernal device, silencing it's incessant beeping. Lying back down, the blond couldn't help but feel happy.

It had been a week since he had become an official Konoha ninja. And he was loving it.

Kakashi-sensei proved to be one of the strictest instructors Naruto had ever had. Iruka-sensei's lectures paled in comparison to the work load the team was now under.

Every morning, they would begin the day with stretches and simple breathing exercises. Then, the pain began. It started out simple: sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, jogging. Then, it got worse. Kakashi called them 'suicides'. They would all start at the end of a field. Kakashi-sensei would throw three kunai out, and they had to sprint out, retrieve them, and run back to him. Then, he would repeat the process, only throwing the kunai a little further. And further. Eventually, it would span nearly half a mile. The third day, Sakura had gotten brave enough to ask Kakashi-sensei just how far he could throw one of the small daggers. Kakashi only smiled, then promptly drew another kunai, set his feet apart, and threw it so fast the three could barely see his arm move. By noon, they gave up searching, having covered nearly two miles of forest beyond the field.

After noon, and a short lunch break, Kakashi led them all to the Hokage's tower, to collect the day's missions. The first day, they only got one: weeding out one of the herbalist's gardens. Several sweaty hours later, and Kakashi was throughly pleased with the three. Naruto had proven to be a hard worker, and the fact that there were multiple Naruto's working at the time only increased the potential. Since each one was in fact a solid being, and not an illusion, they were more than able to actually weed the garden. Each one seemed to have a mind of it's own, and Kakashi often overheard them talking amongst themselves. Every so often one or two would dissipate from exhaustion, and Naruto would stop whatever he was doing in order to make more.

Sasuke played the role of supervisor/observer, and managed to keep the 'group' of Shadow Clones in line, correcting any mistakes they made. The boy's eyesight was incredible: Although there were several 'people' working at the same time, he kept track of every Clone's movements, easily noticing any blunders made. After one Clone made several mistakes in a matter of minutes, Sasuke promptly dispatched it with a well-thrown shuriken, then threatened the rest of the 'beings' with similar fates, should they stray from the path of correct behavior.

Sakura didn't do much in terms of physical work, but instead kept the old woman who owned the garden company. They both sat around a small table in the shade and watched the boys work, drinking freshly made iced tea and discussed random matters. Sakura provided the woman with a solution to the weeds that constantly threatened her crops: A close friend of the kunoichi's worked at a local gardening store, and would most likely be more than happy to design some fertilizer that would only provide nutrients to her plants. She gave the old lady a street address, then reminded her to bring in a sample of all the herbs she was planting, so they could be researched.

By the end of the afternoon, all three Genin were tired, so their sensei let them go, reminding them to be at the grounds in the morning. By the fourth day they were averaging nearly two missions a day: baby-sitting, walking dogs, more gardening, trimming trees, rescuing lost pets, tracking down Academy students who were skipping school... The list never seemed to end. Yesterday had been their first three-mission day, and by the time Naruto managed to get into his apartment, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

There was one good thing about taking on so many missions: The more they got done, the more they got paid. Once a task was accomplished, the team that completed the contract got a small amount of the fee, which they then split amongst each other. It wasn't much, but Naruto actually had money. The man who ran the ramen shop that he ate at on a regular nearly cried for some reason the first time he had started paying back the tab that spanned nearly 7 years, back to when Naruto had first discovered the place. And although it was small, the funding gave him a chance to restock his refridgerator, and repack it with food that wasn't two months past it's expiration date. It also gave him an allowance to purchase other items, besides food.

Like alarm clocks.

And shampoo.

Clean socks, too.

Naruto managed to seperate himself from his covers, then ran into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, and he was ready to grab breakfast. Preparing fast had been one of his specialties before purchasing the alarm clock: since he didn't know when he was going to wake up, it always helped to be able to get going as quick as humanly possible.

After looking through the fridge, Naruto grabbed a few things. Kakashi-sensei had put them all on strict diets once the training had started. Naruto was forced to curb down on his ramen intake, and Sakura was being forced to eat things high in protein, like meats. The last he had heard, Sakura-chan was annoyed at her mother, because of her attitude regarding animal products. Peeling the foil top off of a fresh container of yogurt, he rummaged through a random drawer and managed to find a spoon that looked half clean. After slurping down half of the container, Naruto slapped the top back on it, then threw it into the fridge, for tomorrow's breakfast.

Eyeing a few carrots, he decided to take two, one for the road and one to eat with lunch. Sticking one in his pants pocket and the other in his mouth, the blond shut off the kitchen light, grabbed his orange jacket off the back of a cheap wooden chair, then headed for the front door. He opened it quietly: it was still early, and from past experiences, the boy knew better than to make loud noises, lest he anger the landlord. Slipping a small key out of his coat pocket, Naruto locked the door, then made his way outside. The sun was barely visible in the east, although if the red horizon was any indication, it wouldn't be long before it was up.

Naruto had a feeling today was going to be a good day.

* * *

**Finishing Notes: **Huzzah! I like what I did with that chapter. And I liked the place I ended it, so go me! Oh, and for those that want to know... Yes, I did see Shoot Em' Up last night at the theaters! And no, Naruto will not be stabbing people through the throat with that spare carrot. Or delivering a baby while fighting enemy ninja. Or having sex while doing the same. Although... Nah, we won't go there. For now. Muhahaha. Anyways! That was the good news, now here's the bad bit: The 28th of this month (September, for those that don't know) I will be moving back up to NY. I may not have any internet for a little while (at least, that's what I'm being told) so sometime around then, the updates will cease for a bit. Don't think that I won't be working on the story, oh no. I'll simply be unable to post new chapters for a bit. I will be working on the story until then, and updating as often as I feel comfortable doing so, so don't think I'm saying goodbye right this moment, I'm simply warning you of things to come. Anyways, see you next Chapter, dudes and dames! 

Lucky Thirteen

PS: Trivia question! _Why is thirteen considered an unlucky number?_


	4. Just Another Mission

**Sakura's Choice**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Nor do I have any carrots. -sigh-

**Author's Notes:** Well, here we are, already 14,849 words, 36 reviews, 3,041 hits, 6 c2s (whatever that stands for, I have no idea really) 19 favorites and 47 alerts into what I hope to be a fanfiction of epic proportions. If not in fandom, then in length alone. So, I'm going to stop blabbering and give you guys what you want! Another Chapter? Hells no! Reader reviews! ... Okay, okay, I'll throw the chapter on afterwards, stop complaining. Sheese.

_Masterkeyes2:_ I have a feeling I'll be answering your reviews first for a while, if I can keep up the work I've put out so far. But yes! Let's see... To answer question #1: I have a basic idea of where I would like to take this story. I spend most of my day at work thinking up little pieces of plot, minor details and such (trust me, if you did my job, you'd have plenty of spare time to think too). I really should get to writing my ramblings down (on breaks, perhaps?) so that way I can sell them on eBay for millions once I turn this into an actual book... Haha, like that'll ever happen. Second question... That's a big no. Let me pull the egotistical author card and quote myself, from chapter two: _'this story isn't going to be taking the easy way at every sharp turn in the road' _I'm not sure how exactly I'll change things, but I know that I want to make this story as original as possible, yet familiar to the fans of Naruto, if you know what I mean. And as for you-know-who... Yeah, I like him too. But, I won't give away any absurd changes I may be making to the plot just yet, you'll have to read and find out for yourself! As someone once said, 'There's more than one way to skin a cat'. Third question... Yes! I introduced it so early for a reason, and I think you'll be pretty happy with how much it comes into play, both during training and on the battlefield. As for your fourth question... I myself hated NarutoxSakura fanfictions that had Sakura trailing behind Sasuke half the damn time, then suddenly 'falling' for Naruto for no good reason. Let me put it the way I see it: Sasuke told Sakura that he was disgusted by her. Sakura had a low self-esteem from the get-go (due to her large forehead/rivalry with Ino) so she took his words a lot harder than most would. Instead of getting depressed/emo, however, Inner Sakura has been influencing her towards Naruto, for reasons unknown. Five: 'n0 ur gai narusaku 4lyf n()()b bsidz sasucke iz 2 c0Ld 2 gt da grl lololz' And yeah, the library in my hometown doesn't let you use your own CDs/floppies, already thought about that, hehe.

_Darkide:_ Thanks for the praise on the original-ness/non-OOC-ness/errorless-ness. Heh, that's a lot of 'ness's. I proofread all of the chapters myself, and I've been told I'm a 'grammar Nazi' before, so I'm glad it shows. I hated stories that had noticeable errors, choppy dialog, badly spelled words (some people just ignore the little red underscores it seems) and all-around idiocy. So, at least I know I'm not what I despise! I hope.

_Denim88:_ Let me first say that your chapter two review made me laugh out loud. We would probably both be surprised at the number of people who honestly thought that, though! And as for your comments regarding Inner Sakura... Trust me, I've had those same thoughts. But, I'll be keeping it T for a good while... Although, someday perhaps, it might progress to the legendary 'M' status (Limited Time Only! Check my profile avatar thingy for a 'potential future' picture based on this fanfiction! -had to change original picture idea due to provocative image rule-). As for his eating habits (or lack thereof) think about it this way: When people get depressed, some often turn to food. Perhaps now that Sakura isn't constantly slapping him around (verbally, physically, mentally, ect.) his diet could be a bit more flexible? That's just my thinking, anyways.

PS: The answer to the trivia question: On the thirteenth of October in 1307, countless members of the Knight's Templar were rounded up by the current Pope, accused of numerous sins against God, then tortured, murdered, and burned at the stake. Some consider it the first, and most violent, 'witch hunt' conducted by the Church. And Rick... I have no idea about 42, heh.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Just Another Mission**

Sakura had a feeling today was going to be a bad day.

It started out as every day had before it, really. Well, every day in the last week, to say. Her alarm clock woke her promptly at 5 AM. By 5:45, her freshly-shampooed hair was nearly dry, and her outfit was ready for the day. A quarter after six, and she was ready for breakfast. Her mother was up by then, and they usually split the chore of preparing a small breakfast, then Sakura's lunch. However, today turned out a little differently.

The time was ten after six. And Sakura was already making her way to the training grounds, without either a breakfast or a pre-packed lunch.

Thanks to her mother, of course.

Ever since Sakura had come home the day of the Bell test, her mother had seemed on edge. Her happy retelling of the test only seemed to worsen Hikari's mood. By the time Sakura had headed upstairs to bed, her mother seemed almost livid, for no apparent reason. It was rather shocking: she had expected her mother to be over-joyed that she was an official kunoichi now, but instead the news had almost the opposite effect on her.

It only got worse over time.

The first few days weren't so bad. Hikari didn't exactly warm up to the idea of her going on missions, ones that eventually would involve combat. Despite reassurances that those missions wouldn't come around for a while, the older woman held her reservations, and even went so far as to hint at discussing the matter with her new 'teacher'. Sakura knew that Kakashi-sensei would have refused any combat-related missions anyways: although they were training daily, most shinobi teams spend months preparing for live combat exercises. The D-rank tasks she had been through so far amounted to nothing more than small chores and physical labor.

The straw that broke the camel's back was their conversation this morning. Sakura had just finished re-checking and packing her kunai when she heard a knock at the door. Without even waiting for an approval, her mother barged in, an oddly determined look sketched into her features.

"Uhm... Is something wrong?" Sakura's senses were instantly sharp: even though life was peaceful for the most part in Konoha, there were still dangers to be encountered.

"Yes. Well, no. You should take that off." She pointed at Sakura's forehead, and the girl immediately frowned.

**_"That's our forehead she's pointing at, we can't just take it off! Who does she think she is?!" _**"Uhh... Take what off?"

"Your headband. You won't be needing it." Her mother promptly spun in a half-circle, and started to walk away.

She felt anger bubbling it's way to the surface of her conscious thoughts. _Who DOES she think she is!_ "And why wouldn't I? Sasuke, Naruto-kun and I are meeting Kakashi-sensei this morning. Most shinobi tend to we-"

Hikari shuddered slightly, then cut her daughter off abruptly. "You will not be part of that team. My daughter..."

"_Your _daughter doesn't mind being on a team with that 'knuckle-headed prankster', I'll have you know." Sakura saw where this was going already. Really, she had brought it upon herself. Every time Naruto had annoyed her in the past, she had sought out her mother's wisdom in how to deal with the blond. If her mother thought she was in a state of distress by being paired with him, then she'd just have to change her mind.

"But, honey... You don't know... I can't tell you why you're in dan-"

She had had enough. **_"If she can't tell us what it is, then it really must not be that life-threatening, damn it!"_** "If you can't, then don't bother. I'll see you tonight, mother." Grabbing her kunai holster from the bed, Sakura strode across the room, past her speechless mother, and out of the bedroom. A few moments later, the older woman heard the front door slam shut.

Her daughter didn't know what she did, what every survivor of _that_ night knew. That... _boy... _was part of her team. The woman couldn't help but shudder again at the thought.

* * *

Sakura barely even noticed where her feet were taking her, she was so wrapped up in thoughts about the events that occurred nearly fifteen minutes ago. Coming to an abrupt halt, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: There, to her right, was the path leading to the training grounds. 

Another few minutes of walking, and the kunoichi found herself at the familiar memorial. What wasn't so familiar, though, was the number of Naruto's standing off to the side, near the three posts the team found themselves sitting at nearly a week ago. **_"Whoa... I was looking forward to seeing one Naruto, but not half a dozen. Sort of a strain on the eyes, only in a good way."_** Setting aside her thoughts for the moment, Sakura merely watched the scene unfolding before her.

Near the three posts, there were indeed half a dozen Naruto's, all seemingly standing at random, facing out into the field. Ten yards away, a single Naruto (the 'real' one, she presumed) was juggling a handful of kunai, apparently eyeing his own Shadow Clones. Sakura's confusion at the situation gave way to alertness as the lone Naruto flung a few of the blades across the field, without warning. She immediately recognized what the basic idea was.

Back in the Academy, they had all been taught the basics of throwing both shuriken and kunai, as well as simple catching exercises. Then, during the second half of the semester, Mizuki-sensei had taught them the intermediate projectile weapon techniques.

The situation unfolding before her was an exact replica of one of the first tests he had given them. Splitting the class into three-person groups, they were all given a handful of blunt practice kunai, a few dulled-down shuriken, and a simple stand-alone target board, nearly a foot in diameter. Two of the students were to stand near the target, and the other was to take ten paces back. The distant student would then try to hit the target. What made things even more difficult were the lack of weapons for the defenders, taking deflection (the easiest means of intercepting an airborne attack) out of the question.

According to their teacher, this was a two-fold lesson, for both the attackers and the defenders. The attacker learns how to hit a target that's well-defended, and increases his movement perception and accuracy. The defenders learn to protect a target unprepared, as well as how to communicate with a partner swiftly.

_"If you both move to block the same attack, you're wasting your concentration on over-defending. Learn to know what you should block, and what should be blocked by your partner. If you ever find yourself on a mission protecting a target, these skills will be a key to your victory. As some may say... 'The best offense is a good defense' ."_

Watching the scene before her, Sakura couldn't help but notice the similarities in the lesson and in the practice.

Two of the Naruto Clones over-reacted, and took a pair of kunai in the chest before dissipating into smoke. One managed to catch one of the kunai bare-handed, and started proudly waving it about in his clenched hand. The other three failed to catch the last kunai, which stuck, quivering slightly, from the middle pole. She finally looked closer, and could tell that there were numerous little puckers in the wood of all three poles, where the blade had landed before.

Naruto immediately burst into laughter, and oddly enough, his four remaining Clones started glaring at their 'master'. A moment later, and Sakura yelled out in surprise: The four had decided enough was enough, and sprinted forward, intent on dive-tackling their twin. The blond could have moved out of the way in time, but Sakura's shout startled him just as he was preparing to leap sideways. She could only wince as a painful _thud_ echoed into the forest.

Sakura made her way over to Naruto, who was lying on his back, alone, having dispelled the Clones after the landing. **_"I hope we didn't get him hurt! They were carrying real kunai, too!"_** "Hey, Naruto-kun, are you alright?" She bent down and poked his orange-clad shoulder, eager to get a reaction out of his prone form. "I didn't mean to startle you like that..."

A pair of ocean-blue eyes snapped open at once, and settled on her face. "Sakura-chan!" The last person he had expected to see this early in the morning was now standing beside him, offering a helping hand to return him to his feet. Naruto accepted the out-stretched hand and with Sakura's counterweight, managed to pull himself upright. "What are you doing here so early?"

She debated the question for a second, then decided that the truth was a little too fresh on her mind to discuss right now, especially with the boy before her. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come down early. What about you?"

"Oh... Hehehe... I'm always here early!" Naruto eyed her thoughtfully for a moment, and Sakura had the immediate urge to blush. **_"What's he got on his mind, anyways?! Looking at us all hungry-like..."_**

"Are you hungry?"

The question caught her completely off-guard. "Huh? What're you talking about?" **_"He's the one that looks hungry, not us!"_**

"Well... You look like you skipped breakfast." He patted the front of his pants then unzipped one of the side-pockets, and pulled out a fresh, mostly clean carrot. "Here, have this. It's not much, but it's better than an empty stomach. And besides..." Naruto winked slyly at Sakura, as one person would to another before sharing a well-kept secret. "Kakashi-sensei said that these help improve eyesight!"

Sakura didn't know whether to hit him or hug him. Neither one seemed practical to the situation though, so she accepted the carrot instead, smiling softly. "Thanks, Naruto-kun." She brushed a stray piece of lint off of the vegetable, then nibbled on the pointed end, glancing around in the meantime. "So, you're training this early?"

"Yeah. Normally, Sasuke gets here around the same time as me, so we spar... But, he's late today, so I decided to start without him, heheh."

"I'm not late, you're just early." Both of the shinobi spun towards the sound of the slightly amused voice, to find the aforementioned youth standing against the middle post. Neither had heard him approach, apparently. "And be honest... Our practices are much too one-sided to be considered 'sparring'."

"Good morning, Sasuke."

"It's not my fault that you're a slowpoke! And you're right... They are one-sided!" Naruto's hands flew out in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, another three Shadow Clones sprung into existence. Each one held a mirror image of the original Naruto's expression: A fox-like grin that spoke of mischief. Without a word, the trio charged the still-stationary Sasuke, who was sporting a cocky grin of his own. Sakura sat down in the grass, (after checking it for visible insects, of course) nibbled on her carrot and watched in slight awe as the two's 'sparring' began.

It was one-sided indeed.

At first glance, it was the three Narutos that did all the attacking, while Sasuke tried to either block or evade the blows. However, after watching for half a minute, Sakura determined that there was an unspoken order amongst the chaos of the battle. For a short time, the Clones would go on the offensive, while Sasuke would try to protect himself. Sometimes, simple dodging did the trick. Other times, when dodging was not an option he would block the blow with either an arm or leg, while trying to maintain his body stance. Once or twice, he even managed to use the Clone's proximity to another as an advantage, positioning a Naruto between him and the attacker.

After a minute, things abruptly switched gears. Sasuke became the predator, and the Clones became the prey. Although subtle, traces of Naruto's first training session were present in this exercise as well: the Uchiha was focusing on one Clone in particular, while the other two were defending the 'mark'. Soon after, the training shifted back to it's previous pace.

The 'real' Naruto got bored of watching his Clones fight Sasuke: it was only a matter of time before he dissipated one or two anyways. Instead, he found his gaze drifting to the most interesting feature in sight. Sakura-chan. He watched her stare at the 'battle' for nearly a minute before deciding that it would only be fair that she was included in the training: after all, they were a team. Summoning another Shadow Clone, Naruto approached her cautiously. If he interrupted her Sasuke-gazing time without warning, he was apt to walk away with a bloody nose... If she was in a good mood, anyways. Swallowing the feelings of dread that were quickly surfacing, Naruto got within a few yards of the kunoichi, then finally addressed her.

"Hey... Sakura-chan?"

The girl in question dragged her eyes away from the battle before her, and found two Narutos standing a few feet off to her right. **_"Yikes, they're popping up all over the place!" _**"Yes?"

"Well... Uhm... Would you like to... M-maybe... Spar together?"

**_"S-spar?! That's... That's like one step below going out on a date!"_** Sakura fought the blush that rose to her cheeks on the thought. Instead, she stuck out her hand. "Sure, just help me up. I think my legs fell asleep sitting here so long."

"Of course!" the Naruto on the left replied enthusiastically, and a moment later, the kunoichi was dusting stray grass blades off of her skirt, waiting for her muscles to waken up. A minute of stretching, and Sakura felt ready enough to begin. Although...

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm?" Naruto turned from the conversation with his Clone and regarded her with an eagerness that was unnerving. "Is anything wrong?"

"Well..." Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, who was still holding his own against two Narutos: the third had stopped to sit down and catch it's breath. "Instead of just two... can I fight three of you? If we're a team, then everyone should train in the same fashion, right?" **_"The more of him paying attention to us, the better. Cha!"_**

"Alright, Sakura-chan." A quick hand sign later, another identical Naruto popped into existence beside the first. "How's that?" the three chorused, then grinned at each other.

"Perfect." She cracked her knuckles menacingly, and all three Naruto's faces quickly shifted from cheerful happiness to mild terror. Whenever Sakura-chan started cracking her fingers like that, pain followed. What worried him even more was the eager smile that Sakura still held. Whatever it was that made her smile, Naruto was sure it meant even more pain for him. "The more the merrier!"

The blond prankster could only swallow in fear at the potential beating that was about to occur.

* * *

Kakashi watched the three continue their training from a distance, peacefully sitting in one of the many trees lining the clearing that housed the memorial. _Even without my assistance, their growth is outstanding!_ He had already witnessed two of Naruto and Sasuke's sessions, and now even Sakura was joining them. What amazed him the most, however, was their flexibility: despite going through an exhausting live-combat stimulation, both Naruto and Sasuke had completed his regular training tasks, as well as three back-to-back missions, as of yesterday. The pink-haired girl didn't have anywhere near the stamina her comrades had, though. Already, she was slowing down in fighting Naruto and two of his clones. But what she lacked in intensity, she seemed to make up in intelligence and perception. The fight below was in Naruto's favor, but Kakashi already noticed several adroit moves performed by the kunoichi that ranked well above an average Genin. The team was going places, alright. 

Their sensei glanced down, and focused in on the pouch strapped to his side. For once, his mind wasn't on the book normally kept there. Instead, it was contemplating the set of documents resting beside _Icha Icha Paradise. _The orders he had been given by the Third Hokage left nothing to be imagined. Like every single task rewarded to a ninja of Chunin-level or higher, it was to the point and completely without question.

_"Kakashi-san, this is your next mission." Sarutobi was now holding out a pair of sealed envelopes, thick with paperwork.  
_

_The gray-haired Jonin glanced up from the open romance novel in front of him, his one visible facial feature displaying a rare emotion: utter surprise. "I thought we agreed to put my duties on hold in order to train those three, Sarutobi-sama. Naruto and Sakura will probably be annoyed, and Sasuke..."_

_"Aha, but who said that the training will be interrupted?" The elder laughed softly, then resumed his 'formal' business tone. "This mission involves the three of your students, so there's no need to worry."_

_"What ranking is it?" Both men knew how Naruto was feeling about D-ranked missions: the last time they had visited the Hokage's office to turn in another task, the boy had practically thrown a fit, ranting about how he wasn't being challenged. Sarutobi had come close to giving in to his pleas and assigning the team a recent C-rank assignment that had come in from the Land of Waves. Kakashi had come close to hitting the loud-mouth. Luckily, Sakura-chan had intervened, and with a few quiet words, Naruto had lapsed into silence. The grown-ups in the chamber suspected physical threats._

_"Hmm. Well, in terms of civilian tasks, it's perhaps at most a borderline C-rank, only due to Naruto-kun and his... Charge." Kakashi didn't even need to ask what the man was refering to: he, like all of the other adults in the village, knew of the boy's 'secret'. One of the more prominent reasons why he had even come out of retirement to teach was to observe the effects of his previous sensei's sealing on the boy. As for the Uchiha... The Third's next sentence snapped the Jonin's concentration back onto the conversation._

_"As for potential shinobi skills involved..." Sarutobi paused, and his hesitation spoke words beyond number. "This is to be considered an S-ranked, classified mission. No one will speak of it beyond this room. Once you and your team sign these papers..." the man handed Kakashi one of the envelopes, then continued on. "_If _they sign, I should say, then no one but you and your students will know of it, and all official records of said mission will be non-existent."_

_Kakashi nodded. He knew the protocol around S-rank missions, and all the precautions that had to be taken to ensure utter secrecy. The papers in his hands were most likely written by the Hokage himself, and sealed in more than one way. As a past leader of an ANBU squad, he also knew that any mission above A-rank was an extreme rarity: the last rumors of such an assignment dated back to before the Third Ninja War. "But... What's the task? To use a veil of secrecy..."_

_Sarutobi smiled, then handed Kakashi the second envelope, which was much thicker than the first. "It's all documented in there. I expect you to present this to them before training this morning, and I'll be looking forward to your response by noon. You are dismissed, Kakashi-san"_

_The gray-haired Jonin nodded, then disappeared in a flash of chakra-created smoke. The Third Hokage visibly relaxed, then reached for his pipe. The worst of the day was over._

_Now, he just had to wait for noon to come around. And wait he did._

* * *

"An S-ranked mission?! That's so awesome! We get to go on an S-ranked assignment! We get to go on an S-ranked assig-" 

"Naruto, please shut up immediately. This is a sensitive matter, and we must hold it to absolute secrecy" Kakashi dead-panned, not even looking up from _Icha Icha Paradise_. "There's a reason why it's considered classified, you know."

Their sensei had just appeared out of nowhere, interrupting the 'sparring' Sakura had been taking part in. Then, even more surprisingly, he had presented them with a single plain envelope, sealed by the Hokage. According to Kakashi, their newest mission was within.

"Kakashi-sensei, you told us the rank, but..." Sakura glanced down nervously at the paper she had just been handed: a non-disclosure agreement stuffed full of enough legal mumbo-jumbo to make her head swim after even a few seconds of reading. "What exactly is our mission, anyways?"

The Jonin glanced up from his own readings, and shrugged. "I could give you close to a hundred pages of briefing on this task..." _Which I'm sure wasn't even necessary, Sarutobi-sama was just trying to keep me away from my precious Icha Icha!_ "... or, I could give you the short and simple version."

"Short and simple! I've already got a headache looking at this non-closing thing!" Sakura contemplated correcting the blond, but shook her head in agreement, instead. Sasuke hadn't said a word the entire time.

"Alright, alright. Ahem..." The man collected his thoughts for a few seconds, letting the suspense build to an inhuman level. "You three... Are moving."

Naruto was the first, like always, to break the silence. "Moving?! Where are we moving to? Are we leaving the village, or like, moving into the Hokage's tower? Huh? Huh?! We are, aren't we!"

Sakura felt her heart grow cold. _We're being sent away? Something's going on here._ She knew about Missing Nin, the ninja that had abandoned their home village for whatever reason, and set out to live lives of solitude. According the what Iruka-sensei had said the day after graduation, was that the assistant teacher-turned-traitor Mizuki would have been considered a Missing Nin, if he hadn't been caught shortly after his treachery. "K-kakashi-sensei, where are we being moved?"

"Naruto, shut up for a minute. You didn't let me finish the explanation." The boy being scolded promptly stuck his tongue out at their sensei, then quieted down before Sakura-chan decided to get angry and silence him herself. "Anyways... You three will be packing all of your possessions up, and tomorrow morning, a few ANBU will join us to assist in the process of transporting any cargo. Moving furniture will not be necessary: the rooms you will be provided with come with full furnishings. I expect you to be up at 0600 hours, and ready to go by 0700. You will be escorted to a lesser-known clan house, one on the outskirts of the main village. At 0800 hours, I will brief you on the rest of the mission. Any questions?"

As the blond's hand energetically shot up, Sakura tuned his voice out. **_"Clan house?! That's like one step below sharing an apartment with Naruto-kun! But... Haruno-san isn't going to like this, not one bit." _**That train of thought was unquestionable: there was no possible way she could convince her mother to let her move away. A feeling similar to the emotion she had felt at the Bell test began to creep in. This was where it all ended for her. As Naruto paused for breath, she lifted her own hand, and Kakashi raised his one intact eyebrow.

"Sensei... We n-need the permission of our parents... D-don't we?"

The older man seemed to weigh his answer, then spoke in a tone rough enough to make her flinch. "You are shinobi. You are a tool to be used by the Hokage, as he sees fit, in times of war and in times of peace. You are a weapon that is held not in the hands of the blacksmith that crafts it, but in the firm grip of the soldier that wields it on the battlefield. Do I make myself clear?"

"W-well, yes, but..." Sakura could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes, and blinked furiously to fight them off. "My m-mother..."

All at once, Kakashi's harsh tone vanished, his voice gentle once more. "I will speak with your mother about this. I had planned on having an audience with her in the first place, so why not kill two birds with one stone? Let's move on to more pressing matters, shall we?"

As he began describing today's exercises, Sakura let her attention drift once more. She was being saved once again from almost certain failure. First Naruto-kun, and now Kakashi-sensei had stepped up for her, without any hesitation. Deep in thought, the kunoichi mindlessly followed her team mates and teacher across the field.

There was only one way to pay back their support. She had to focus on her training, stand on her own two feet, and become a true shinobi, in order to bring fame, honor and peace to the lands they called 'home'.

After all, a weapon may be a weapon, but it can still have a heart, and a purpose of it's own.

* * *

**Finishing Notes:** Well, that's the fourth chapter for you. Let me address a few issues before I save it and stick it: One, yes I did indeed make up a name for Sakura's mother. To the best of my knowledge, she is un-named in both the anime and the manga, so having a name is an appropriate thing, yes? I chose Hikari because, for those of you that know Japanese (or Wikipedia every other thing) it translates to 'light'. A fitting name for the parent of 'the spring field of cherry blossoms' (again, see Wikipedia). Second issue: Yup, you guessed it. This 'S-ranked mission' is purely AU, and is the start of where this story will branch away from the canon Naruto plot. If you choose to keep reading (I say this because I know that a few of you will not, purely because you can't stand author-made plots) then you'll be seeing ties to the original 'Land of Waves' Arc, but not concerning Team Seven (at least not exclusively). I know which team I will be 'sending' on that particular mission, and you will know too, in time. Trust me when I say that I WILL be tying up all loose ends that leaves in the plot. This isn't just a spur-of-the-moment type thing, I have given this a long, hard thinking-through. Anyways, look forward to chapter five, which should be out in a week or so. And happy Friday the 14th! Mwhahaha. 

Not-so-Lucky Thirteen

PS: Read T. H. White's 'The Once and Future King'. If you can make it past the first fifty pages, you're in for one hell of a good read.


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